Belal Muhammad raises eyebrows with ridiculous promise ahead of Jack Della Maddalena battle

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad promises not to use his wrestling against Jack Della Maddalena at the upcoming fight at UFC 315.

Belal Muhammad raises eyebrows with ridiculous promise ahead of Jack Della Maddalena battle

Belal Muhammad wants to defeat Jack Della Maddalena using only his striking skills (via X)

Belal Muhammad became the UFC welterweight champion last year at UFC 304. The Palestinian-American fighter shocked the world by beating Leon Edwards, and winning the bout in a dominant way. Going forward, Muhammad is planning to carry the same momentum to his first ever title defense against Jack Della Maddalena. 

The title fight between Muhammad and Della Maddalena is scheduled to take place in the main event of UFC 315. It will be the champ’s return after suffering from a toe injury back in November. The PPV event in Canada remains important for the champion aiming to showcase his dominance. Going into the fight, Muhammad has issued a new challenge which looks incredibly hard to achieve. 

I’m not gonna shoot one takedown, and I’m gonna show him the meaning of Canelo Hands.

Belal Muhammad via The Coach and the Casual
YouTube video

Muhammad is known for his relentless wrestling, pressure fighting, and exceptional cardio. He often used his grappling to wear down opponents. However, at UFC 304, he showcased his striking skills by outstriking Edwards. He made up the phrase ‘Canelo hands’ to relay that his striking is as dangerous as his ground game.

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However, it is safe to say that his striking is also effective because of the takedown threat that he possesses. Recently, light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev utilized the same strategy to outstrike Alex Pereira at UFC 313. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see if the welterweight champion remains consistent with his promise.

Belal Muhammad shares a wholesome moment with young UFC fighter 

Belal Muhammad is regarded as one of the most boring champions due to the lack of finishes on his resume. However, all this criticism doesn’t change the way he lives his life and his relationship with others. The UFC welterweight fighter proudly represents his Palestine heritage and has even adopted a kid from Gaza. 

Belal Muhammad celebrates with Ignacio Bahamondes
Belal Muhammad celebrates with Ignacio Bahamondes (via Instagram)

Muhammad also has a very effective team and the welterweight fighter is always there to support his teammates. Recently, at UFC 313, he was in the corner for the young and hungry Ignacio Bahamondes, who submitted veteran Jalin Turner with ease. After the bout, a video of Muhammad giving Bahamondes the news about his bonus has gone viral. 

During one of his podcasts with Joe Rogan, Muhammad had credited the Chilean fighter for his striking skills. According to ‘Remember The Name’, sparring with fighters like Bahamondes has given him his ‘Canelo hands.’ It would be interesting to see whether that would be enough for his next fight against Jack Della Maddalena.

How effective is Belal Muhammad’s striking?

Belal Muhammad had to wait for a long time in order to get his title shot against Leon Edwards. Many believed that his fighting style was the biggest obstacle, as it was built around wrestling and control time. Throughout his professional career consisting of 28 fights, he has only five knockout finishes. 

Out of them, only two came in the UFC and most of Muhammad’s wins came via unanimous decision. In his last few fights, the fighter has shown how much his striking has improved. However, he definitely lacks the brute power that someone like Ilia Topuria has. For Muhammad, winning fights against top challengers without using his wrestling abilities seems far-fetched.

Belal Muhammad striking against top opponents
Belal Muhammad striking against top opponents (via X)

Without the threat of wrestling, does ‘Bully B’ pose the same threat with his striking? At UFC 304, Edwards couldn’t get to his striking flow and was outstruck due to Muhammad’s wrestling threat. If the champion goes into a straight boxing contest JDM, it might allow the Australian title challenger to get into his rhythm. This may prove catastrophic to Muhammad.

After all, Della Maddalena struggled with the wrestling threat of Gilbert Burns at UFC 299. With a proven weakness in JDM’s game, relying on just striking skills might be futile for the champion. Nevertheless, Muhammad could still end up surprising the MMA community like he has done before. As such, only UFC 315 can truly answer what the champion will showcase.

Related: Jack Della Maddalena shockingly reveals he had staph infection ahead of Gilbert Burns fight at UFC 299